Churches, synagogues and other religious organizations are making statements about forests and becoming active on issues of forest conservation.
Why are religious organizations making statements about forests? The Scriptures as well as both Jewish and Christian theology indicate that each person is called to care for creation.

In response to this not-always-easy obligation, many religious denominations and para-church organizations have issued declarations about responsibility for forests. Our own organization, over several gatherings, formulated a national declaration entitled "Responsibility for God's Forests." A summary of that declaration can be found on this web site.

Christians and Jews from every background collaborated to write this statement. At every juncture, the touch of divine inspiration was there, moving us forward. The core of the Christian declaration is a call for an end to cutting of old growth forests and an end to commercial cutting on public lands. An important concern of all participants was justice for forest workers and healthy rural economies. For this reason the call includes a redirection of tax-payer subsidies away from industry interests and to forest restoration, including job retraining to aid reforestation.

Just because member organizations have articulated religious responsibility for forests and issued a call does not stop the cutting any more than religious calls to abolish slavery ended that institution. Healing requires people who support this call to join us and voice support. In other words, we need you! Join into this great work of saving the forests.

There are many things you can do. A menu of options is enclosed. The single most important thing any one person can do is to take this call to at least three other people, each of whom will also take it to three other people, each of whom will in turn do the same thing. This launches a word-of-mouth, chain reaction for forest protection. In this, we can take a potent step toward healing our forests.